Winter Storm — Southwest Big Horn Basin, Wyoming

2016-12-25 · Southwest Big Horn Basin, Wyoming

Event narrative

A spotter measured 7 inches of snow in Thermopolis.

Wider weather episode

A combination of a cold front moving across the area, lee side cyclogenesis and powerful jet dynamics produced heavy snow across many portions of Wyoming. The snow hampered holiday travel in many areas. The worst conditions were across Johnson County where blizzard conditions developed and Interstate 90 was closed for several hours during Christmas Day. West of the Divide, the heaviest snow fell across the Jackson Valley where many areas had a foot of new snow. Meanwhile, East of the Divide the heaviest snow fell from Riverton and Worland to Casper where from 6 to 10 inches of new snow fell.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 666078. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.